To all the good dad's out there.
Especially mine, Herbert E. Shipp, Texarkana, AR: RIP
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Friday, June 07, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wild turkey lives and my yard and dines at the birdfeeder.... So fun to watch.
Love him
Don't know what happened to the two hens that hung out with him.
They've been missing a while now.
Still hopeful they are setting on eggs.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Book II in the Florida Killers series:
SEX, GAMES DEATH
from the files of Patricia Lieb
from the files of Patricia Lieb
These stories were not included in MURDERS IN THE SWAMPLAND
Sex Wasn't Enough
&
Sex, Drugs & Death On Dinnerbell Lane
Kindle download cost is $1.00
&
Sex, Drugs & Death On Dinnerbell Lane
Kindle download cost is $1.00
Free June 15-21 2013on Kindle....
Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Azores, April 17, 2013
Take a quick tour with me of the lovely Azores Island
clean, breathtaking, exciting, friendly
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Carhops at the Steak 'n Shake in Kankakee, IL, fall 1960 to spring 1961
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| Pat Shipp, ME, & Flora |
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| Phyllis was a wild-child |
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| Me |
In 1060 my life style changed
totally from living with my mother in Texarkana, Arkansas to moving with her to
Chicago, then leaving there and returning to Texarkana to live with my
grandparents, my daddy and my brother, Paul, two years younger than me. I hung
around there until summer then went with family to Southern California—a trip I
wrote about in my collection of essays and poems about growing up titled “Among
My Souvenirs”, available on Amazon Kindle. I stayed with uncle, aunt and
cousins in California when the rest of the family returned to Arkansas. After
some three months in “the Golden” state, I caught a Greyhound Bus to Kankakee,
Illinois. My mother, step-father and two younger brothers had moved. That was a
big step. I lived in Illinois for the next five years. My first job in Kankakee
was as a carhop at the Steak ‘n Shake:
 |
| Ronnie, Jim (carhops at Steak 'n Shake, and two of my brothers, Rickey, Paul |
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| Me.... and it was soooo cold |
 |
Ginger |
Day time curb manager David
Steen hired me when I applied for a car hopping job. He was so good-looking and
acted much older than his 19 years. I told him I had experience—well, I did
work half-a-day carhoping at a drive in while I was in California. And I had
worked a few days at a little drive-in place on College Hill before my mother
moved to Chicago. So, actually, I was truthful.
I missed friends from back home in Texarkana but
found new ones in Kankakee. The Steak ‘n Shake was the place teenagers loved to
hangout and when they were not parked on the lot, they were driving around the “square”,
which contained three blocks on each side. And not being from the area, this
was opportunity to get to know people my age. I met new friends almost daily
but only took photos of a few. Ginger and Jim were siblings. Ginger my age, 18,
and Jim 14. Other carhops on the day shift were Flora, a part Sioux Indian,
Alice, Maryland, Danny Chinski. Alice—God bless her soul, clipped tips. We all
knew it but I don’t think anybody called her on it. Ginger and Jim came from
Mississippi and both came to work at the Steak ‘n Shake shortly after me. Jim
looked older than he was and I can honestly say he had a strong crush on me. He
asked me out over and over and I just shook him off by telling him he was “too
young.” Still, he hung around my house much of the time. He would sit and talk
to me while I washed my hair, while I cut my hair—just about any time I would
allow him over. |
| Danny Wagner "Elvis" in his cab |
Son-of-the-owner of the cab
service in the town, Danny Wagner parked in a parallel-parking space next to
the carhop service space. Danny looked like Elvis. In fact, we carhops called
him Elvis. When he’d see me walking home, he often gave me a free lift. I did
walk home much of the time.
  |
| Mr. Mizell |
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| Me |
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| Maryland, Me |
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| Me |
Ginger asked the jukebox man
to put Mary Robbins new 45-record titled “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” on the jukebox
inside the restaurant. He did. Then I heard about an old school friend of mine,
Jacky Ward (who later became an accomplished country singer), cutting his first
record in 1960 or 61. I rode the train from Kankakee to Texarkana to visit with
family and friends and purchased Jacky’s record titled “Little Boy Had A Lonely
Heart.” I had the juke-box man put it on the jukebox inside the Stake ‘n Shake
and when he took it off sometime later and side one and two had played more
times that the counter could register and needless to say the record was
totally worn-out.
I had my share of dates then,
too. When with a couple different guys, Steve and Frankie, (not at the same
time certainly) from Hungry; they were friends and also rivals. They both had
nice cars and worked at the Ford Motor Plant in Chicago Heights, which means
they had plenty of money to spend as well. I went out with several other “boys”
too, but was really never got serious. I did accept a marriage proposal,
though, from a guy name Dick. I told him not to buy me an engagement ring, just
to get wedding rings for us. He did and I kept them in a drawer for a while.
When I though he was getting a little in a hurry with this “wedding” thing, I
have him back his rings. Not long after that he and my friend Ginger got
married. That was about the last I saw of either, but I heard the marriage did not work out—sad to say.
Back then the drinking age in
Illinois for girls was 18, boys had to be 21. One night a group of us went to a
club called the Top Hat to dance. Even though David was 19, at 18 I was the
only one of age. I was also the only one that got carded. I had to bee-line it
home to get identification while the others were ushered inside.
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| Me in my "too-tight" slacks |
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| Joyce |
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| Me, walking home to my Mother's house on Beach Street Kankakee, Illinois |
Let me tell you this…
Northern Illinois can be pretty cold in the winter time and for a girl that
came from the south it can be dang cold. I wore three pairs of long wool slacks
and three sweaters under my Stake ‘n Shake coat. When the owner of the drive-in, Mr. Mizell,
went on vacation the manager of the Steak ‘n Shake in the adjacent town,
Bradley, by the name of Wally came over run things.
Now know that I had on three
pairs of wool slacks on that cold day. Wally called me inside the building and
told me that my pants were too tight and I needed to get bigger one. I stewed!
I felt my eyes becoming daggers. I stared him and said, “It is now of your
business how tight my pants are!”
“Count your money,” he said.
“I’m already counting!” I
retorted.
My curb manager told me I
would have my job back as soon as Mr. Mizell returned. The next day I got a
much better paying job at the Bear Brand, a factory that made sock and finished
off nylons. I worked on the fifth floor boarding nylons. The best part about
getting fired from Stake ‘n Shake was getting to date the handsome curb
manager. David was fun and no-doubt the best swing dancer ever. He I remained
friends until his death in January 2012.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Southern Literary Festival at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA, memories....
It was in April, 1985, at the Southern Literary Festival at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA, that my publishing-editing partner Carol Schott and I presented a program on “Editing the Literary
Magazine”. The conference went smoothly and after it was over we went to the Holiday Inn Lounge and celebrated. The Shriners brotherhood was holding a convention at the hotel at the same time. Having my two teenage children with me for the event they were in-and-out of the lounge to "check In" with me so that I would know they were OK.
After returning home to Illinois a few days later I heard my son telling one of his friends about what had happened.
"The band was playing a silly song about a robin bird dancing and they were going 'tweet-tweet-rockin' robin. And I looked around for my mom and there she was dancing with a big fat clown."
It seems
like yesterday;
memories
are
awesome.
Magazine”. The conference went smoothly and after it was over we went to the Holiday Inn Lounge and celebrated. The Shriners brotherhood was holding a convention at the hotel at the same time. Having my two teenage children with me for the event they were in-and-out of the lounge to "check In" with me so that I would know they were OK.
After returning home to Illinois a few days later I heard my son telling one of his friends about what had happened.
"The band was playing a silly song about a robin bird dancing and they were going 'tweet-tweet-rockin' robin. And I looked around for my mom and there she was dancing with a big fat clown."
It seems
like yesterday;
memories
are
awesome.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
 |
| Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historical State Park in Citrus County, West Central Florida. The oldest standing historic structure in Citrus County. |
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| Located in Homosassa, Florida 352-795-3817 |
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| This park is the National Gold Medal Winner for Florida State Parks; and is listed on National Register of Historic Places. |
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| Open 365 days a year, no entrance fee, all plants, animals and park property are protected. |
David Levy Yulee arrived in the territory of Florida from from his homeland of St. Thomas in 1817 at the age of 7-years-old with his "prosperous" business-man father,
Yulee, at age 9, attended a private school in Virginia and later "read law" in St. Augustine. He became a member of Florida's first constitution convention in 1838-39 and was elected a a territorial delegate to the Congress in 1841.
Yulee moved to his 5,100-acre plantation near the Homosassa River called Margarita; built Florida's first railroad that ran from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key.
Yulee's mill served as a supplier of sugar products for Southern troops during the Civil War.
A Union naval force burned Yulee's home to the ground in May 1864. Yulee was accused of treason and was imprisoned briefly. Ulysses Grant ordered he be freed; at which time he resumed his railroad interests. Yulee died in New York in 1886.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
My 18th Birthday now available in paperback....
MY 18TH BIRTHDAY
Now available in paperback
from Amazon.
Now available in paperback
from Amazon.
A Young Adult coming-of-age novel. Life in the small tri-states town of
Clover, AR-LA-TX, was wonderful until the year 1960; then heartaches of the
worse kind led the young guitarist, Annie Jo, to catch a Greyhound bus headed to
the city lights of Memphis, TN—there she might be discovered by a talent scout.
While riding through Arkansas, she tries to ignore the handsome man giving her
more attention than he should. And soon action starts to pop. Annie Jo joins
with members of the Civil Rights movement, gets stalked by a drunk, jailed, and
kidnapped—all on her 18th birthday.
Reviews Annie Jo is a pretty
uncomplicated character and her simplicity makes her endearing and likable from
the start. Even while nursing a broken heart and carrying around the weight of
things she can't change, she still manages to look life in the eye and see it
for what it is - a rollercoaster ride of emotion and experience. Annie's a small
town girl and it shows. She does the right thing for no other reason than
because it's right… she's always true to herself and that's a big part of why
she's so interesting. My 18th Birthday is a great coming-of-age story set in the
very turbulent times of the 1960s’ Civil Rights Movement. It brings the trials
of the times front and center and shows you how one courageous, if a bit naïve
girl, might have handled the situation. - LAS YA Review
My Eighteenth Birthday
will draw you in to Annie Jo's teenage antics and mature heartaches and keep you
turning the pages as she strives to forget and begin anew. With a cast of
interesting secondary characters and a backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement,
it’s an enjoyable read and one book you won't forget. – Julie Lence, author
Western Historical Romance
Caption to photo: Patricia Lieb, former award-winning newspaper reporter, now spends her time writing novels, poetry, travel articles and just enjoying life.
Product Details
|
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Free copy of Bridged By Love
Free, free, free
PDF download of Bridged By Love
For a limited time (January 27-February 14, 2013), please comment below with your email address and I will email you a free PDF download of my historical novel titled Bridged by Love, circa mid-1980 set in the 4-states area of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, USA.
If you cannot sing in below, please email me at patricia34610@gmail.com; please write FREE BRIDGED in the subject line so I will know that it is safe to open the email. Thanks much and sure hope you like my historical fiction novel.
PDF download of Bridged By Love
If you cannot sing in below, please email me at patricia34610@gmail.com; please write FREE BRIDGED in the subject line so I will know that it is safe to open the email. Thanks much and sure hope you like my historical fiction novel.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
This is the real Florida
and a showcase for Florida's
wildlife
HOMOSASSA SPRINGS WILDLIFE STATE PARK
two-time winner of the
National Gold Medal Award
"Americas's First Two-Time
Winner"
Educational
programs include
Manatee,
Wildlife
encounters,
alligators.
You will hear about the Hippopotamus; and the tell of how the hippo was made an honorary Florida resident by former
Florida Governor Lawton Chiles in order to continue living in the park..
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Please vote for Danger In The Cliffs as the best Romance Novel published in 2012
Danger In The Cliffs
DANGER IN THE CLIFFS
Please go to this link and voted for Danger In The Cliffs for best romance novel of 2012Thanks everyone...
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Bridged By Love, free on Amazon... Three-day-special
Bridged By Love
Free in the Kindle store Wed, Thur, Fri... December 5, 6, 7...
Be sure to get yours....
Free in the Kindle store Wed, Thur, Fri... December 5, 6, 7...
Be sure to get yours....
Bridged By Love, historical fiction
Free... free... free............ Bridged by Love
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